Secure borders: Bulgaria reduces illegal migration by 70 percent!

Secure borders: Bulgaria reduces illegal migration by 70 percent!

The pressure from Austria and the EU has had an effect: Bulgaria has invested significantly in border protection in the last two years and has reduced the number of illegal border crossings on the 281 kilometer long border with Turkey by an impressive 70 percent. Bulgaria and Romania have been part of “Schengen Air” since March 1, 2024, which means that controls at certain borders have been lifted. Roman Bakariev, deputy head of airports at the Bulgarian Border Police, reports that the transition initially brought challenges, but is now working smoothly Small newspaper reported.

Significant measures to secure the borders

To improve the security situation, 1,264 new officers were hired and over 280 off-road vehicles were purchased, with another 80 to follow. This is part of a comprehensive restructuring of the border protection. At the same time, the facilities at border crossings improved, for example at Kapitan Andreevo, the largest border crossing in Europe, where 7.6 million people entered last year. Jani Peychew, the head of the border crossing, emphasizes that controls here are stricter than ever before to protect the EU's external borders. The control technologies include a CO2 meter to check vehicles and thermal imaging cameras to detect illegal activities early, such as crown reported.

The decline in illegal migration and the increased controls are showing success: While around 140,000 illegal border crossings were registered in 2022, this number fell to around 50,000 by 2024. These successes are not only due to Bulgarian measures, but also to close cooperation with Turkey. In addition, the European border protection agency Frontex has provided additional support in Bulgarian border regions.